No. 22 San Diego State vs. Fresno State picks and best bets for Mountain West matchup

The late night shift will bring us to San Diego for Mountain West action as the No. 22 San Diego State Aztecs will try to stay unbeaten when hosting the Fresno State Bulldogs. The game will kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

San Diego State (7-0, 3-0 MWC) is quietly one of the last remaining unbeatens in FBS and is doing so by playing Big Ten West ball in southern California. They’re absolutely stonewalling opponents with their defense that’s ranked fifth in SP+ and they’ve held six out of their seven opponents to 21 points or less. Their latest triumph came in last week’s 20-14 victory over Air Force, where they consistently stopped the Falcons on third down and somehow held possession longer than the option-based program.

Fresno State (6-2, 3-1 MWC) is sitting just behind SDSU in the west division standings and survived a late onslaught from Nevada in a 34-32 victory last Saturday. Wolfpack quarterback Carson Strong got the chance to put a lot of stuff on tape against the Bulldog defense, going 49-61 through the air for 476 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Fresno was more balanced offensively, with Jake Haener throwing for over 250 yards and two TD’s and running back Jordan Mims running for 134 yards and a score of his own.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

San Diego State: 49th overall, 121st offense, 5th defense
Fresno State: 44th overall, 30th offense, 61st defense

Injury update

San Diego State

OL Zachary Thomas Questionable - Undisclosed
CB Dallas Branch Questionable - Hand
RB Greg Bell Questionable - Undisclosed

Fresno State

RB Ronnie Rivers Probable - Foot

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

San Diego State: 5-2 ATS
Fresno State: 5-3 ATS

Total

San Diego State: Over 3-4
Fresno State: Over 4-4

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

San Diego State: 81st overall, 76th offense, 90th defense
Fresno State: 82nd overall, 81st offense, 85th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Fresno State -1
Total: 44.5
Moneyline: Fresno State -120, San Diego State +100

Opening line: Pick ‘Em
Opening total: 46

Weather

60 degrees, 3 MPH Winds S, 19% chance of rain

The Pick

Fresno State ML

Oddsmakers have this one as a virtual coinflip, so I’ll go with the Bulldogs to come down to San Diego and pull the upset on the road. SDSU’s defense masks a bottom 10 offense in the country and if they were to trail Jake Haener and Fresno State at any point, they would have nothing to answer back with. Give me Fresno.

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